Active Faith

[The following is substantially the text of the Christian Science program presented on Sunday, January 19, over the Columbia Broadcasting System "Church of the Air." The speaker was Lloyd E. Contant.]

How important is faith in everyday life? Some may believe that faith has become a minus quantity in today's world; but if we were to consider the many things we do on faith each day, we might be greatly surprised. We see faith entering into every contract we make, whether it's a verbal agreement or a notarized document.

We drive to a store to purchase items in a faithful automobile that may have started thousands of times without a fuss. The items purchased at the store represent an exchange of faith on the part of both the buyer and the seller. If the items prove reliable, we say that our faith was justified. Thinking about the items or products, we see that they express the mental qualities of the manufacturer; they're expressions of intelligence, industry, integrity. The manufacturer has faith in these qualities, and, moreover, he has faith in the buying public's ability to appreciate them. The exchange of ideas, or the products that represent them, we call business. Good business is founded on faith.

In the Gospel of Luke is found the record of Christ Jesus, at the age of twelve, staying behind in Jerusalem, and of the discovery of Mary and Joseph after a day's journey toward their home in Galilee that he was not with them. The account continues, relating (2:45), "They turned back again to Jerusalem," and after three days' search found him "sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions." When his mother asked why he had done this, he replied, "How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"

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Of Good Report
January 25, 1964
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